In a story full of intrigue, the principle characters are: Xerxes, King of Persia; Vashti, deposed queen of Persia; Esther, the new queen and savior of the Jews; Haman, the evil prime minister; and Mordecai, cousin of Esther and the new good prime minister. It is amazing how God engineers the circumstances so as to save his people from death in Persia.